Spirit Airlines is facing renewed financial pressure as rising fuel costs threaten to complicate its efforts to exit bankruptcy, adding uncertainty to its restructuring plan, according to reports. 

The low-cost carrier, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in late 2024, has been working toward a financial overhaul aimed at stabilizing operations and improving liquidity. But a recent surge in fuel prices – driven by the ongoing war with Iran – is creating fresh headwinds at a critical stage in the process.

The dire situation has led some creditors to explore a potential liquidation of the airline, according to reports from Bloomberg and The Wall Street Journal, as its low-cost structure leaves it more exposed to triple-digit increases in fuel costs.

Fuel remains one of the largest expenses for airlines, and the recent spike is hitting Spirit particularly hard given its ultra-low-cost model. Unlike larger carriers, Spirit has limited flexibility to offset higher costs through fare increases without risking a decline in demand.

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Creditors have already raised concerns about the company’s restructuring plan. In a recent court filing, lenders behind Spirit’s revolving credit facility argued the proposal may not be viable if fuel prices remain elevated.

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The financial impact could be critical. JPMorgan analysts, cited by the Journal, estimate that higher fuel prices could add roughly $360 million to Spirit’s expenses this year – exceeding the $337 million in cash the airline reported at the end of last year.

That imbalance highlights the scale of the challenge as the airline attempts to restructure while managing rising operating costs and constrained liquidity.

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Spirit has already taken steps to shore up its finances, including raising fares, cutting unprofitable routes and reducing its fleet.

The company said in court filings it expects fuel price volatility to ease in the coming months, with conditions potentially stabilizing later this spring. But the outlook remains uncertain with the Iran conflict showing no end in sight and continuing to disrupt global energy markets.

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Spirit Airlines did not immediately respond to FOX Business’ request for comment.

Shares of Wipro, India’s fourth-largest IT services company, fell as much as 4% to their day’s low of Rs 202 on the NSE on Friday after it reported a 2% fall in its consolidated net profit at Rs 3,502 crore in the fourth quarter. The company’s board also approved a buyback of Rs 15,000 crore along with its financial results.

Revenue from operations, meanwhile, increased 8% YoY to Rs 24,236 crore. However, the core IT services segment showed limited traction. Revenue stood at $2.65 billion, growing just 0.6% quarter-on-quarter and 2.1% year-on-year. On a constant currency basis, IT services revenue rose 0.2% sequentially but declined 0.2% annually, highlighting weak underlying demand.

Wipro reported a sequential rise in profit, which was up 12% quarter-on-quarter. IT services operating margin came in at 17.3%, declining 0.3% sequentially and 0.2% YoY, indicating continued cost pressures and investment-led drag.

What are experts saying?

Wall Street major Morgan Stanley maintained an Underweight rating and cut its target price to Rs 192 from Rs 242, a downside of nearly 9%. The brokerage flagged weak fourth-quarter performance, with revenue declining 1.3% QoQ in constant currency. It also pointed to a 1.6% YoY decline in FY26 revenue, reflecting underperformance versus peers. The outlook remains subdued, with 1QFY27 guidance indicating a further 1.5% to 2% QoQ decline.

While margins have held up so far, they are expected to fall short of the 17% to 17.5% band in FY27. The firm also noted the Rs 15,000 crore buyback as supportive of shareholder returns but has lowered its revenue growth and margin estimates for FY27 and FY28, expecting continued relative underperformance and a valuation discount to peers.
Goldman Sachs reiterated its Sell rating with a target price of Rs 187. It highlighted a weaker-than-expected Q4 performance and said the guidance points to continued revenue contraction in the near term. The brokerage expects FY27 to mark the fourth consecutive year of revenue decline for Wipro and has cut its revenue and earnings estimates following the results. It also noted that the commentary has a neutral read-across for the broader IT sector.
Nomura retained a more constructive stance with a Buy rating and raised its target price to Rs 250 from Rs 240, describing Q4FY26 as a mixed quarter. Deal wins remained steady, with total bookings of $3.5 billion in Q4, down 13% YoY, including large deals worth $1.4 billion, down 18% YoY. The pipeline continues to be driven by vendor consolidation, cost optimisation and increasing demand for AI-led transformation. Nomura believes timely execution of these deals will be key to improving growth, and it expects USD revenue to grow 0.9% in FY27 and 4% in FY28.
Motilal Oswal maintained a Neutral rating on Wipro with a target price of Rs 215, implying a modest upside of around 2%. The brokerage expects constant currency revenue to grow about 1.0% YoY in FY27, factoring in a weak start to the year with 1QFY27 revenue likely to decline around 1.0% QoQ. It highlighted ongoing challenges such as delays in deal ramp-ups, a decline in contribution from top clients and weakness across key verticals. The firm also sees limited scope for margin expansion due to wage hikes, the ramp-up of lower-margin deals and continued investments in AI. It has largely kept its estimates unchanged.

(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)

Oil prices edged lower on Friday as hopes of easing tensions in the Middle East eased investor fears. The decline follows a 10-day ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel coming into effect, along with remarks from U.S. President Donald Trump indicating that Washington and Iran could hold talks over the weekend.

Addressing a major hurdle in efforts to end the Iran conflict, which has shut the Strait of Hormuz for seven weeks and disrupted about one-fifth of global oil supply, Trump said Tehran had proposed not pursuing nuclear weapons for more than 20 years. “We’re going to see what happens. But I think we’re very close to making a deal with Iran,” he told reporters outside the White House on Thursday.

Crude oil price on April 17

Brent crude futures dropped $1.34, or 1.35%, to $98.05 a barrel at 0021 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude fell $1.65, or 1.74%, to $93.40 a barrel, giving up some of the gains seen in the previous session. Oil prices had surged 50% in March during a record rally and only recently slipped below the $100 per barrel mark. However, they have largely held in the $90 range this week.Israel’s military operations in Lebanon have remained a key stumbling block in securing a broader peace agreement that Trump is seeking to end the Iran war, which he initiated alongside Israel in late February.
Adding to the downward pressure on prices is the 10-day truce between Israel and Lebanon. During an earlier two-week ceasefire, Iran had insisted that Lebanon be included in any agreement, while hostilities between Israel and Lebanon continued.

The latest ceasefire took effect at midnight on Friday in Lebanon, pausing clashes between Israeli forces and the militant group Hezbollah. This development removes a significant obstacle to ongoing U.S.-Iran negotiations.
Officials from both Israel and Lebanon confirmed their participation in the truce, which Trump announced after a diplomatic push by the U.S. government last night. Still, experts suggest that WTI prices are likely to remain volatile within the $80 to $100 range until a formal agreement is reached and normal navigation resumes.

Brokerage firm Macquarie noted that even if tensions ease, oil prices are likely to stay supported in the $85 to $90 range, with a gradual move toward $110 as flows through the Strait of Hormuz normalise. It added that if disruptions extend through April, Brent could still rise to $150 per barrel.

Market experts believe crude may be entering a structurally higher price phase. The current ceasefire is temporary and a return to pre-war levels of $70 to $75 could take several months. Analysts warn that in the near term, he expects crude to remain within a range of $80 to $85 on the downside and $95 to $100 on the upside.

(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)

NEW YORK — The New York Times Connections puzzle for Friday, April 17, 2026, delivered a satisfying mix of everyday knowledge and wordplay as players grouped 16 words into four clever categories in game #1041, with many hailing the solution as one of the more enjoyable Friday challenges of the year.

The official answers for today’s Connections are:

Yellow (easiest): Vegetable parts — BULB, LEAF, ROOT, STEM Green: Prevailing — COMMON, DOMINANT, GENERAL, POPULAR Blue: Parts of a piano — HAMMER, KEY, PEDAL, STRING Purple (hardest): Second halves of drink names — SODA, STORMY, TAN, TONIC

Players who spotted the vegetable group early often cruised through the puzzle, while the purple category — pairing words that complete drink names like gin and tonic, dark and stormy, tequila sunrise (or simply “tan” in some contexts), and rum and soda — provided the satisfying “aha” moment that Connections fans crave. The piano parts category rewarded music knowledge, linking mechanical components of the instrument in a clean blue grouping.

The 16 words presented were: BULB, COMMON, DOMINANT, GENERAL, HAMMER, KEY, LEAF, PEDAL, POPULAR, ROOT, SODA, STEM, STORMY, STRING, TAN, TONIC. Many solvers noted the puzzle struck an ideal balance — accessible enough for casual players yet tricky enough to separate perfect solvers from those who needed a few mistakes.

Connections, created by Wyna Liu and published daily by The New York Times, challenges players to find the common thread linking four groups of four words each. Categories range from straightforward (yellow) to devilishly subtle (purple), with color-coded feedback helping players adjust their thinking. Friday’s edition kept the difficulty moderate, avoiding overly obscure references while still offering clever misdirection.

Social media lit up with reactions as players shared their grids using the familiar emoji pattern. Many posted perfect solves with the sequence yellow-green-blue-purple, while others celebrated a “reverse rainbow” by cracking the hardest group first. Comments ranged from “Finally a Friday that didn’t destroy my streak” to “The drink one got me good — who thinks of ‘tan’ as a drink half?”

The vegetable parts category proved the most straightforward for most, with BULB, LEAF, ROOT and STEM forming an obvious botanical group. Prevailing synonyms — COMMON, DOMINANT, GENERAL, POPULAR — tested vocabulary nuance, as players had to distinguish them from similar-sounding concepts like “famous” or “widespread.”

The piano group required a bit more domain knowledge or lateral thinking. HAMMER (the felt-covered striker), KEY (the white and black notes), PEDAL (sustain or soft), and STRING (the vibrating wires) form the core mechanical elements inside many pianos. Some players admitted guessing this set only after eliminating other possibilities.

The purple category stood out for its elegance. SODA completes “rum and soda” or “vodka soda,” STORMY finishes “dark and stormy,” TAN pairs with “tequila sunrise” (or simply appears in cocktail contexts), and TONIC famously completes “gin and tonic.” The subtlety of “second halves” made this the most rewarding solve for many.

Hints released ahead of the puzzle guided players without spoiling the fun. Common advice included looking for words that could pair with the same preceding term (as in the drink category) or identifying parts of a larger whole (piano components and vegetable sections). Music lovers and gardeners reportedly had an edge today.

For newcomers, Connections rewards pattern recognition over raw vocabulary size. Strategies that help include scanning for obvious groups first, noting repeated themes like body parts or food items, and using process of elimination once one or two categories click. The game’s one-mistake tolerance before a loss adds tension without excessive frustration.

As of April 2026, Connections continues to grow in popularity alongside Wordle and the Mini Crossword. Millions play daily, with streaks tracked religiously by dedicated fans. The New York Times has expanded the game’s reach through its app and website while keeping the core experience simple and ad-light for subscribers.

Friday’s puzzle followed Thursday’s edition, which many described as tougher, and set a lighter tone heading into the weekend. Solvers who missed today’s groups can try again tomorrow with a fresh set of 16 words, as each puzzle resets at midnight.

Community discussions on Reddit’s r/NYTConnections and social platforms often break down why certain groupings work or mislead. Today’s thread highlighted appreciation for the piano and drink categories, with some calling the purple group “chef’s kiss” for its cleverness. Others shared stories of solving it while drinking their morning coffee, joking that the tonic category felt especially appropriate.

The game’s appeal lies in its shared daily ritual. Families compete over breakfast tables, office workers share scores in group chats, and online strangers bond over commiserating about tough purples or celebrating perfect solves. Unlike some word games that reward obscure knowledge, Connections often feels fair even when challenging.

For those who struggled today, common pitfalls included lumping “KEY” with vegetable or prevailing groups before realizing its musical role, or trying to force “STORMY” into weather-related categories. The beauty of the puzzle is that once the correct threads emerge, everything snaps into place with satisfying logic.

Looking ahead, weekend puzzles sometimes lean more playful or theme-heavy, though the core four-category structure remains consistent. Players hoping to maintain or extend their streaks are advised to approach each new day with fresh eyes and avoid carrying over assumptions from previous games.

The April 17, 2026, edition stands as a strong example of what makes Connections special: clever but not cruel, accessible yet rewarding for sharper minds. Whether solved in one flawless attempt or after a couple of thoughtful mistakes, today’s groups left most players smiling and ready for the next challenge.

As the weekend begins, the global Connections community will reset and return Saturday for puzzle #1042, eager to discover what new connections await. For now, Friday’s vegetable garden, prevailing moods, piano innards and cocktail completions provide plenty to discuss and celebrate.

PepsiCo said Thursday its push to make snacks more affordable is bringing customers back, offering an early sign that consumers are starting to return after pulling back in recent years.

The company reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, with both revenue and profit rising. A notable change came in its North American food business, where demand for products like chips and snacks showed early signs of recovery.

After a stretch where higher prices weighed on buying habits, PepsiCo said its efforts to improve affordability are beginning to resonate with shoppers. That shift helped drive growth in volumes, indicating consumers are buying more – not just paying higher prices.

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Executives pointed to a broader strategy that combines pricing adjustments with new products and marketing efforts aimed at keeping brands relevant while easing pressure on consumers.

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The turnaround is still early, but it suggests PepsiCo may be finding the right balance after a period when price increases across the industry tested customer loyalty.

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At the same time, the company’s beverage business in North America remains under pressure, with softer demand highlighting uneven performance across its portfolio.

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Going forward, PepsiCo said it expects steady growth this year, even as the broader economic backdrop remains uncertain, and consumer spending patterns remain in focus.